Unscientific survey shows what some parents and children think about gangs in schools, neighborhoods

BRIDGETON — Thirteen out 34 children who completed the Cumberland County Prosecutor’s Office’s unscientific survey at this week’s youth workshop on gangs, bullying and violence stated they believe there are gangs in their schools.

That’s approximately 40 percent.

Twelve were unsure.

The Cumberland County Prosecutor’s Office on Friday released some of the results of its informal and — again — unscientific survey of 32 children and 34 adults, who attended Tuesday’s workshop at Cumberland County College and completed the survey, which included questions ranging from “Do you think your neighborhood is dangerous?” and “Do you believe there are gangs in your (or your child’s) school?”

In all, 82 county residents attended the workshop — 42 adults and 40 juveniles in grades 5 through 12.

According to survey, 17 out of the 34 adults believe there are gangs in their child’s school.

Indeed, a common theme of the results was parents and guardians believing the situation in their neighborhoods and schools to be slightly worse than their children do.

Asked “Today, do you think your neighborhood is dangerous?” 14 of the 34 adults answered yes, while only nine out of the 32 juveniles had the same response.

Do you think your school — or your child’s school — is dangerous?

Twelve out of 34 adults, as opposed to eight out of 32 juveniles, said yes.

Is there drug dealing in your neighborhood?

Nineteen out of 34 adults said yes. Twelve out of 32 juveniles said yes.

The outlier of the survey, where juveniles and their parents seemed to be on the same page, was on the question of whether there were gangs in their neighborhood.

In both groups, 13 said yes. However, 12 of the adults were unsure.

“Speaking professionally, adults and juveniles sometimes see things differently; sometimes they think differently,” said Mark Anderson, community justice coordinator for the county prosecutor’s office. “Perhaps we need to do more of these programs, bringing parents and juveniles together to talk about these issues in their lives.

“We need to engage with juveniles in the county, and listen to their input and their advice to prevent gang affiliation.”

However, Anderson is not just a criminal justice professional. He’s a parent, too.He says the results of the survey mean some parents, himself included, have to become better listeners.

“As a parent, I’m thinking I need to be a better listener; I need to be more open to their point of view,” said Anderson. “I have to be more open to their reality, and what they’re experiencing in school and in the community.

“I cannot be in denial that my sons might be or already have been exposed to gang-related acts or delinquent behavior.”

According to Anderson, the goal of the survey was to get a small view of what residents thought about the safety of their environment. He added the county may continue with similar surveys in future workshops.

“It’s all very general at this point, so I don’t have anything specific,” added Anderson.